I'm reasonably confident that Friday will work for two reasons.
Maybe 155 songs hit 5+ last year, but 48 hours before close, I doubt that number was even 55.
5 votes is a pretty high threshold. Even if I didn't explicitly state that a 5 was guaranteed, all the 5s from last year still made the bracket. Unless we have a much higher turnout this year, it's hard to imagine 5 wouldn't be safe anyway.
Locking sounds like it could have an impact on voting trends, and indeed some people might act a little differently if that security and peace of mind is worth it to them, but ultimately anyone who stops and considers should recognize that this really doesn't change much, if anything at all. It's an acknowledgement that some people are sore about watching the rising waters and feeling like they have to play the game alongside everyone else, when they'd rather just fire and forget. I'm giving them an out.
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VGMC13 champion: Ar Nosurge - Class::EXSPHERE_NOSURGE;